Raining Down A London Tune
by Luvandia
Summary: Based on the prompt, "Imagine Person A of your OTP meeting Person B for the first time and offering an umbrella to them in the pouring rain." Kiku is a transfer student in London. Oneshot AsaKiku AU.


_A/N: For my lovely friend Dawn, whose birthday was long ago over, but since then I've set out to find the needed plot bunnies for this fic. AsaKiku if you squint._

The harshness of winter was steadily creeping up on November, people sporting sweaters more often and the occasional scarf pulled up over a bright pink nose. It was not for a few weeks more that snow would fall, but until then, Kiku would have to make due with the unnecessary cold in the air.

Wrapped up snugly in a thick wooly turtleneck, the man made his way down the stairs in as much of a rush as he could without rudely pushing past other students. The temptation to do so had briefly crossed his mind, but he shooed it away hastily, for it was an outward show of impoliteness to others. And Kiku being Kiku, it would simply not do, no matter how undeserving they were of his thoughtfulness.

Upon reaching finally level ground, the exit gate in plain sight - albeit a distance away, for Campus grounds in England were vast and it never failed to amaze the Japanese man, even now - he continued his hurried pace under the shelter of the school.

London was certainly a beautiful place, of course. Kiku's pride of his home country would never allow him to admit that England was more breath-taking than Japan, but he could certainly say it was almost even. The only thing about London that irked Kiku ever so much was that-

Booming thunder sounded as the rainclouds in the sky gathered overhead, starting yet another downpour that day.

-it rained incessantly.

It hadn't bothered him much in the morning when classes were still in progress, because he had simply prayed for better weather after dismissal, so that he could return home without being soaked to the bone. Apparently, the praying had been for naught, clear skies being _downright murdered_ in cold blood by _evil_, _monstrous_ rainclouds.

Kiku let out a long suffering sigh.

The world expressed its sympathy by raining down harder.

He continued toward the gate, upset at his failure to flee before the rain started. Perhaps if he hadn't taken that detour down by the hallway to avoid the usual bullies, perhaps if he hadn't stayed back after class to clarify two measly doubts, perhaps if he hadn't chosen to come to London for his studies in the first place-

"Hullo."

Kiku wasn't in the mood for socialising with another one of these detestful people, but he greeted back all the same. "Hello."

The intruder to his thoughts was a neat-looking young man Kiku had caught sight of in between classes quite often, his uniform fitting his body with barely a crease or stain, and a perfectly-knotted green tie proudly resting on his torso, the colour signifying that he was a grade below Kiku.

Kiku himself suddenly felt self-conscious and old all at the same time, looking down at his own crumpled uniform like rags around his skinny form.

"Looks like the dreary London rain's got you stuck," the young man said, his eyebrows (Kiku took to staring at them, perhaps for a longer time than considered appropriate, but they were absolutely massive) furrowing in what seemed to be pity. "I'd like to offer help, but I've got only an umbrella and no more."

Kiku allowed his eyes to be downcast. It was fine - he would wait out the rain. It was his own fault for forgetting to bring out an umbrella in the morning, anyway. "Thank you, I do not need much assistance, however," a hesitant pause, "My name is Kiku. Goodbye."

"I'm Arthur, lovely to make your acquaintance," Arthur smiled reassuringly, an eyebrow raised in question, Kiku's desire to get rid of him painfully obvious. A quick look up and down told Arthur that yes, Kiku did indeed need assistance and yes, the man was a terrible liar. "I could walk you home as the gentleman I am."

Walking Kiku home was certainly not an option, not to the Japanese man. Wasn't that considered intimate? This .. this Arthur, the Englishman with a gentleman complex and hideous(ly cute) eyebrows could take him down at his most vulnerable.

He shook his head no.

Arthur rolled his eyes impatiently, pulling out a small umbrella from his schoolbag and shoving it into Kiku's pale hands. He turned toward the gate and started walking out, calling over his shoulder. "Then I'll go home in the rain."

Arthur was toying with his guilt. There was a sort of feeling bubbling up in the pit of Kiku's stomach, a kind of irritation aimed at a person that he hadn't felt in a long while. The irritation grew, coupled by the anger sealed away at everything that had frustrated him since coming to this forsaken place, and if he let Arthur win this round, he'd never forgive himself.

And that was how Kiku found himself walking uncomfortably close to Arthur, huddled together under a tiny umbrella that still allowed raindrops to pelt his side. Shelter was still shelter, and he was not one to be picky when someone offered him kindness, the uncomfortable squelching of his shoes, trodding through unavoidable puddles of water, failing to deter that belief.

Perhaps it wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. The air was still freezing, but it made the warmth radiating from Arthur all the more treasured and prized, Kiku's shivering less feverent as he unconsciously leaned nearer to the other by the tiniest bit.

The directions to the apartment he'd be living in for the duration of his stay slipped off his tongue easily. Arthur followed the directions without protest, filling up what would have been silence with idle chatter about this and that.

Listening, but not really, to Arthur's voice that had since become a low, indistinguishable hum, Kiku found that perhaps the bullies and the rain and being vulnerable didn't matter so much anymore. Not to say it didn't matter at all, but the anger had numbed under the overwhelming happiness of finding a friend, no - finding _Arthur_, and that was enough for now.


End file.
